‘Luctor et Emergo’

IFSCC Magazine , 11 (2008) (1) 5–9 ‘Luctor et emergo’ means to struggle, fight or wrestle in order to come up, win or just emerge and survive. It was adopted as a national motto by the Zeeland region in Holland to underline their daily battle with high tides. Indeed, this Latin motto effectively illustrates the struggle to make things work, that is to overcome all difficulties and hurdles and make everything flow smoothly at the end. Therefore, it applies appropriately to our subheading: ‘all battles and bridges between the language of marketing and product formulation’. What are the main causes of misunderstanding or hindrances between marketing and the formulator? Could common objectives overcome such gaps? How can we establish bridges with a view to enhancing creative cooperation? Finally, would it be possible to find solutions which can provide a mutual cross‐fertilization? The following humorous example will make the problem clear. The scene is a kitchen where we see an old and ugly couple. The husband asks his wife, who is holding a tin can: »Would you like some tuna fish?« She answers: »No, I would like to be naked in bed with Kevin Costner in Jamaica«. This is obviously a dialogue of the deaf, where both speak only apparently the same language. In fact, they fail to convey what they really mean. This signifies that they are not on the same wavelength, they do not refer to the same code of speech to communicate and it seems impossible for them to understand each other. How can we make ourselves understood when communication is sometimes so difficult and work out appropriate solutions when we put R&D and Marketing at two poles of a communication scheme?